In this observation, pay attention to how your teacher manages his or her classroom. What types of disruptions, if any, occur while you're visiting? How do they set the class in motion? How do they deal with interruptions (from the outside) and disruptions (from their students)? Determine whether there are students in the classes that you will teach that are especially troublesome. Ask your CT how he or she addresses these students' needs. Reflect on your "vision" of an ideal science classroom. What classroom policies will you try to implement in YOUR classroom? How does your vision align with your teaching philosophy?
In my CT's AP and Honors Chemistry classes there were no disruptions that I observed. The phone rang during the AP class but Dr. Pothier answered, received the message, and went back to her lesson. Disruptions from students only occurred in her College Prep class. The students started off doing group work and after some time, Dr. Pothier moved onto creating a data table for the following lab. While she was discussing the format of the data table, two students, who had been working as partners, still had their desks touching and proceeded to talk to one another. My CT addressed the two students and politely told them to separate their desks. This ended the disruption quickly and the lesson continued smoothly. From another visit, I remember one student who was especially talkative and disruptive. He was always trying to talk over Dr. Pothier or interrupt her in the middle of a discussion. She dealt with this student by bluntly telling him that he had to stop talking because it was rude. She also used his energy and talkativeness by making him the score keeper for the review game.
I wasn't surprised that there were no disruptions in the AP or Honors classes because those students are usually older, and slightly more mature than the College Prep students. Although the disruptions were minimal in the College Prep class, I can see that the students are a group that is more likely to misbehave. In the College Prep period I will teach, I forsee needing to manage the student who has a need to constantly talk. My first response to this or other misbehaviors/disruptions will be to position myself closer to the student/students who are misbehaving. I have seen this work with a few of the teachers I have observed at Coventry and I believe it is a good starting point. If the student continues to misbehave, I will then address them directly and explain how they are affecting their peers and their learning. I believe that showing students WHY their actions are wrong and unhelpful is important in ending the behavior. If I was told to stop clapping my hands, but wasn't told that I should stop because it was too loud for someone, I may not stop clapping because I don't seen a direct correlation to anything relevant. I expect that the students respect one another and myself because I will give them my respect. This aligns with my teaching philosophy because I ultimately want everyone to succeed and this cannot occur unless the classroom environment is one of respect and understanding.
In my CT's AP and Honors Chemistry classes there were no disruptions that I observed. The phone rang during the AP class but Dr. Pothier answered, received the message, and went back to her lesson. Disruptions from students only occurred in her College Prep class. The students started off doing group work and after some time, Dr. Pothier moved onto creating a data table for the following lab. While she was discussing the format of the data table, two students, who had been working as partners, still had their desks touching and proceeded to talk to one another. My CT addressed the two students and politely told them to separate their desks. This ended the disruption quickly and the lesson continued smoothly. From another visit, I remember one student who was especially talkative and disruptive. He was always trying to talk over Dr. Pothier or interrupt her in the middle of a discussion. She dealt with this student by bluntly telling him that he had to stop talking because it was rude. She also used his energy and talkativeness by making him the score keeper for the review game.
I wasn't surprised that there were no disruptions in the AP or Honors classes because those students are usually older, and slightly more mature than the College Prep students. Although the disruptions were minimal in the College Prep class, I can see that the students are a group that is more likely to misbehave. In the College Prep period I will teach, I forsee needing to manage the student who has a need to constantly talk. My first response to this or other misbehaviors/disruptions will be to position myself closer to the student/students who are misbehaving. I have seen this work with a few of the teachers I have observed at Coventry and I believe it is a good starting point. If the student continues to misbehave, I will then address them directly and explain how they are affecting their peers and their learning. I believe that showing students WHY their actions are wrong and unhelpful is important in ending the behavior. If I was told to stop clapping my hands, but wasn't told that I should stop because it was too loud for someone, I may not stop clapping because I don't seen a direct correlation to anything relevant. I expect that the students respect one another and myself because I will give them my respect. This aligns with my teaching philosophy because I ultimately want everyone to succeed and this cannot occur unless the classroom environment is one of respect and understanding.